Home / World / Ukraine News Today May 16, 2017: Ukraine bans Russia propagandist media, social networks for three years; Two Ukrainian soldiers wounded amid 37 enemy attacks; First Ukrainian Diaspora Business Forum to be held in Kyiv

Ukraine News Today May 16, 2017: Ukraine bans Russia propagandist media, social networks for three years; Two Ukrainian soldiers wounded amid 37 enemy attacks; First Ukrainian Diaspora Business Forum to be held in Kyiv

Ukraine News Today: Ukraine bans Russia propagandist media, social networks for three years; Two Ukrainian soldiers wounded amid 37 enemy attacks; First Ukrainian Diaspora Business Forum to be held in Kyiv

Ukraine bans Russia propagandist media, social networks for three years

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed an order to introduce new sanctions against Russia, which foresees, among other things, the blocking of access to Russian media outlets and popular social networks, Joinfo.com reports with reference to UNIAN.

The order has enacted a decision taken by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) on April 28, 2017, on personal special economic and other restricting measures (sanctions).

The NSDC’s decision extended previous sanctions against Russia and introduced new sanctions. These restrictions concern 1,228 individuals and 468 legal entities based in Russia, Ukraine and occupied areas in Crimea and Donbas.

Among Russia’s social media subject to the Ukrainian sanctions are VKontakte (vk.com), Odnoklassniki (ok.ru), and Yandex (its Russian headquarters and the Ukrainian-based division). What is more, Internet providers have been obliged to block access to the mail.ru e-mail service.

The popular cinema-related website, Kinopoisk.ru, will also be blocked. What is more, the Ukrainian sanctions concern such popular Russian anti-virus software developers as Kaspersky Lab (kaspersky.ru) and DrWeb (drweb.ru), as well as the 1C accounting software developer whose applications are widely used in Ukraine.

In particular, 1C will encounter the blocking of assets, a ban or limitation on handling foreign currency and cash, limitations on sale, measures aimed to prevent capital outflows from Ukraine, a halt to the fulfillment of economic and financial obligations, limitations or suspension of telecommunications services, a ban on participating in public procurement tenders and on the transfer of technologies and intellectual property rights.

The Russian-based RosBusinessConsulting media holding is also subject to the sanctions, but as the Russian news agency RBC, which is part of the holding, reported, the Ukrainian authorities had decided not to block access to its portal rbc.ru.

The previous sanctions were extended for one year only. The decree shall come into force from the date of its publication. It shall be published within 15 days since it was signed, i.e. no later than June 1, 2017.

NSDC Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov was tasked to control the implementation of the NSDC decision enacted by Poroshenko’s order. The presidential order also terminated a number of previous decrees on restrictive measures introduced in 2015 and 2016.

Two Ukrainian soldiers wounded amid 37 enemy attacks in last day

Russia’s hybrid military forces attacked Ukrainian army positions in Donbas 37 times in the past 24 hours with two Ukrainian soldiers reported as wounded in action, according to the press service of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) Headquarters, according to UNIAN.

“The Mariupol sector: 12 enemy attacks were recorded. The militants mostly attacked our fortified positions near the village of Shyrokyne, using small arms. They also used automatic grenade launchers near the village of Hnutove. Additionally, the enemy fired grenades of various systems and used heavy machine guns to shell our positions near the town of Krasnohorivka and the village of Novomykhailivka on the demarcation line close to the temporarily occupied city of Donetsk,” the report says.

The Russian occupation forces mounted the largest number of attacks on ATO forces in the Donetsk sector. Most often, they fired on the Ukrainian positions in the vicinity of the town of Avdiyivka, using 82mm mortars, guns of infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers, and small arms. The same types of weapons were used against the Ukrainian positions stationed near the villages of Pisky, Verkhniotoretske, Novhorodske, Maiorsk, and Zaitseve. What is more, areas near Zaitseve came under 120mm mortar fire.

“The Luhansk sector: 10 episodes of militant shelling were recorded there in the past day. In this very direction, the enemy most actively used 100mm artillery systems. Moreover, in the evening, the invaders fired 120mm mortar shells at our fortified positions near the villages of Novozvanivka, Novo-Oleksandrivka, and Troyitske. The militants also used 122mm artillery systems near Troyitske. At the same time, in the vicinity of these settlements, the enemy opened fire from light weapons – grenade launchers and 82mm mortars,” the press service said.

First Ukrainian Diaspora Business Forum to be held in Kyiv on May 18-19

May 18-19, the First Business Forum of the Ukrainian Diaspora and foreign friends of Ukraine will take place at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry with the participation of representatives of the Government and business of Ukraine, the Diaspora, as well as entrepreneurs and managers of the international companies from 13 countries, Joinfo.com reports with reference to Ukrinform.

“For the first time since the Independence, the business people of Ukraine and Diaspora will have an opportunity to establish close working relations and discuss possible cooperation in the following spheres: informational consulting, investment innovation, IT technologies, energy saving, agriculture, tourism, etc. The meetings will be held for each of these sections and a В2В dialogue is also planned. A separate conference with the participation of representatives of the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry abroad (Germany, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Slovak Republic, Austria) will be held on the second day of the Forum,” the statement reads.

As noted, a working group will be established upon on the results of the Forum to cooperate with Ukrainians abroad. The activities of the group will be coordinated by the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry under the patronage of the Government of Ukraine.